2023 NORDICA ENFORCER 94 UNLIMITED SKI REVIEW

Sometimes I think that ski companies and their marketing departments just throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks. Other times, it seems like they have a plan. The 2023 Nordica Enforcer 94 Unlimited feels like a good combination of the two theories, and we here at SkiEssentials.com could not be happier. Yes, touring and backcountry skiing has proliferated and thrived over the past five years or so, with no end in sight—it's a huge and fast-growing segment of the market right now, and ski companies are getting creative in keeping up with the demand. Some are coming up with new and totally different skis and shapes, while others are relying on name and brand recognition to spur their sales on. In Nordica’s case, they’re not only using the Enforcer name, but also the shape. The difference is in the build and intent, and in this case, we’re impressed with a couple of things. First, they’ve developed a lighter Enforcer 94 that you can put any type of binding on, from a minimalistic tech binder to a Look Pivot 18, and chances are, you’re going to have a good time. Second, they’re giving skiers another view at a great shape and a versatile ski. The normal Enforcer 94, with its two sheets of metal, is on the heavy side for its class and category, aiming mainly at advanced and expert skiers. The Unlimited version comes in at 1540 grams per ski in the 186 versus 2118 in the metallic iteration. This drop in weight opens up a lot of doors for a lot of skiers who are looking for that Enforcer shape and behavior, but in a lighter ski. The main thing we’ve noticed so far between the Unlimiteds 104 and 94 is that the 94 feels more like a touring-specific ski while the 104 has more or a resort freeride personality.

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Construction-wise, we’re dealing with the same changes as in the 104. Nordica has left the shape the same among the 94’s, with the 186 producing an 18.2-meter turn radius, with the tips and tails having the same rocker profiles and taper shapes. The lone difference is the skin notch at the tail, but it does not affect any of the downhill performance of the ski. Built with poplar wood in a macro-block form, the wider stringers of wood require less glue and epoxy, both lightening the load and giving the ski more of a woody feel to it. On top and bottom, Nordica uses carbon stringers woven into the fiberglass to stiffen the ski and provide a pretty shocking amount of energy. On top, they use a GR400 density of carbon—similar to that used in normal 94, and on the bottom of the core they use GR530, which is a denser formation of carbon in the stringer. It’s pretty amazing how they lighten the wood, remove the metal, and still come up with a very poppy and smooth ski. True Tip technology is used in the 94 Unlimited as well, lowering the swing weight of the ski and making it incredibly maneuverable. I found this especially to be true when performing a twister off a small side hit. Long story short, they’re really fun skis.

With a flatter tail, lighter weight, and narrower shape than the 104, it makes more sense to use this ski as more of a dedicated tourer. This does not mean it lacks a resort/chairlift/all-mountain application, it’s more the relationship with its wider brethren that makes us feel this way. Our test version has a Marker Griffon demo binding on it, so there’s no real uphill implications on our demo ski. We can only assume that given the weight and the shape, it’s going to tour just fine—right in line with something like the Volkl Blaze 94 in its dual-purpose nature. Skiers will not need, and probably not want, heavier touring bindings like the Duke PT 16 we had on the 104 Unlimited, opting more for lighter choices, from a Marker Alpinist to a Kingpin, and up to a Shift. Either tech or hybrid will work just fine on this ski, as you don’t really need to have that heavier binding to drive the ski. The only caveat is you, and how much you are looking to use this ski in a resort setting. As your chairlift rides increase, I’d lean to more of a hybrid style of binding, or if you wish, ride the resort exclusively with a straight-up alpine binding. The thing we learned most of all with the 94 Unlimited, is that it has a very wide range of applications, opening up the sport of skiing to a lot of different uses and users.

Downhill, this ski kind of rips. It’s hard to discuss the properties and personalities of this ski and its metallic partner on their own without also viewing it through the lens of the 104’s behavior as well. If I had my choice of a 94 Unlimited or a normal 94, for resort skiing only, I’d take the normal 94, but I’m not so sure I would take the 104 Free over the Unlimited. Jeff and I have discussed this and we kind of feel the same way. If I had to choose one of the four for touring only, I’d take the 94 Unlimited, but for one ski total, I think the 104 has more to offer, mostly due to the tail rocker and the freeride nature. That said, on our firmer groomers here at Stowe, the 94 Unlimited carved clean and round turns with a strong finish to the arc. It was really impressive how the ski both hooked into the carve as well as released from it. While neither as damp nor stable as the metal 94, it was not bad at all for the weight—at 6’2” and 225 pounds, I was pushing the 186 as hard as I could and didn’t feel a whole lot of chatter. We also got some fresher and softer snow to ski in, and in that case, it felt a lot more like the regular 94—smooth and easy—willing to make any turn shape or style at any time. That’s the kind of versatility and well-roundedness we’ve come to expect from Enforcer skis in general, and more specifically, these two 94’s. The Unlimited version is predictable, sets clear expectations, and is a sheer pleasure to ski. I skied whatever bumps and steeps I could find, and they did great—a fantastic mogul ski that’s quick and agile while being supportive and strong. While we didn’t get a chance to ski them in trees, I’d put it right up there with some of the best of them due to the swing weight and shape. Unlimited potential for off-piste skiing, I’d say.

Like the 104 Unlimited, this 94 brings up some questions and discussions that are fun and relevant to have in today’s skiing universe. Is this a touring-specific Enforcer 94? If not, what is it? Do skis have to line up with what they’re intended for, or are there uses for these products that the designers did not think of? Will intermediate skiers get to use the 94 Unlimited in the way skiers use a Blaze 94, Line Sick Day 94, Rossignol Escaper, Elan Ripstick 96, Head Kore 93, or even an Atomic Maverick 95 Ti? There’s not a huge range or gap in weights of these skis, so I think it’s just fine to place the Enforcer right in there with them. For a mid-90's all-mountain ski, the 2023 Nordica Enforcer 94 Unlimited should be directly involved in each and every conversation, whether you tour on it exclusively, or never at all.

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Written by Bob St.Pierre on 12/30/21